A Beautful Mind Mental illness is a disorder of the brain that causes a disruption in one's thinking, feelings, mood, and ability to relate to others a person. For someone who has never had a mental illness, it can be difficult to imagine what life would be like for someone who does. The movie “A Beautiful Mind” is about a mathematician, John Nash, who suffers from schizophrenia. Through his anguish, we gain knowledge of a life with mental illness. It affects every component of your life and that of those close to you. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The film opens in late 1940s Princeton, where John Nash is a young graduate student in mathematics. Nash produces some brilliant and original work, but its importance is not immediately recognized. His best friend is his roommate, Charles Herman (fictional). In the early 1950s Nash takes a job at MIT that involves both working at the (fictional) Wheeler Defense Labs and teaching courses. He believes he is a CIA spy and William Parcher (fictional) is his superior. At MIT he falls in love with and marries a physics student named Alicia Larde. However, Nash's behavior becomes increasingly bizarre and he is diagnosed with schizophrenia. With Alicia's help, he battles mental illness for many years and eventually recovers enough to live a more or less normal life. Meanwhile, the importance of the work done four decades earlier received widespread recognition, and in 1994 Nash received a Nobel Prize. The turmoil John Nash feels in the film is no different than the feelings many people feel. My experience with mental illness has recently expanded. A good friend was admitted to a psychiatric hospital with borderline personality disorder. I visited her and now have a better understanding of mental disorders. I was afraid to go to hospital. I had visions of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,” but my fear was irrational. No one falls under the stigma of “crazy.” They were people trying to help themselves. The hospital is a safe environment to take a break from the stresses of life that can be even more harmful to a person with a mental disorder. The hospital can also help psychiatrists treat the patient properly with constant supervision. Like John Nash, my cousin Peter is schizophrenic. I have only heard stories of his erratic behavior and paranoia, but I know he loves his family and friends, no matter how severe his symptoms. Borderline personality disorder, my friend's condition, is characterized by depression, manic mood swings, and suicidal tendencies. I just found out about his illness and how serious it is. She attempted suicide and had to be resuscitated. He is afraid of making his disorder public because of society's opinion towards people with mental illnesses. People suffering from psychiatric disorders are stereotypically viewed as crazy and dangerous. Everyone is affected by mental illness, not just patients and their loved ones. People who label mentally ill people as “crazy” negatively affect those patients, making it more difficult for them to seek help. This is highlighted in “A Beautiful Mind” with the students' looks of disgust when John is taken to a mental institution. He is even ashamed of being seen at school for years. When he returns he is mocked by the students for his strange behavior. Mental illness not only affects the physical body, but it also affects the mind. You may believe things that aren't true, or you may experience feelings, despair, and suicide.Imagine not even being able to trust your own thoughts and feelings. This is seen in “A Beautiful Mind”. John Nash believes he works for the CIA, but that doesn't mean it's true. It can sometimes be impossible to distinguish fantasy from reality with a mental illness. This is important in the film. John's schizophrenia creates an alternate reality in his mind. He was faced with the realization that the people and memories that were vivid to him never actually existed. This understanding is difficult to accept and John returns to his old habits. It is not known exactly how mental illness manifests itself. There is evidence to support the genetic cause, but there is also evidence that it comes from the environment. Sometimes both are factors. If your family has a history of depression, you are more likely to suffer from it. You may be the only person you know who suffers from depression. Science shows that the disease is sometimes caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Medication can be helpful, but finding the right drug, dose, and combination can take years. Therapy is also very helpful in the healing process. Patients must understand, as in the case of John Nash, that not everything they know and feel is true. The problems could stem from something in their past. These environmental factors should be worked out by professionals for maximum recovery. Parents play an important role in their children's mental health. Children must be loved and cared for. They should never be abused or made to feel unwanted. This can reduce the chances of mental illness caused by the child's environment. Mental illness does not challenge my faith in God. Whether it is a physical or mental disorder, cancer or schizophrenia, it is God's will. I feel that we all have a purpose in our lives and death is the moment when our destiny was fulfilled. God wants us at home with him. He is omnipotent and omnipotent. He wants it and that's how it is. Many people believe that prayer can help cure any ailment. Praising God's name and living His testament leads to a better life in all aspects. In the film, what truly saves John is Alicia's love for him. John Nash is arrogant when we first meet him. He is rude, narcissistic and believes himself to be intellectually superior. Only when John meets Alicia do we begin to see his true nature. His care and compassion become evident. I don't think he's the bad guy. John's overcoming of schizophrenia can be considered a heroic act, but I believe Alicia is the heroine of this story. Without her love and devotion, John may never have recovered from his illness. It took a lot of strength and courage to stand by him in those difficult and sometimes scary times. Alicia is not a narcissist; she is optimistic. Alicia never lost faith in her husband. John's illness affects Alicia as much as it does him. Watching her husband suffer is as if she were enduring it herself. We see this when John receives his first electroshock therapy. Alicia can't even attend the treatment. Losing him to illness means losing a part of her. In this way they are interdependent. John's schizophrenia also distances him from his wife. When he returns home from the hospital it is clear that there is distance between them. John doesn't talk about his feelings with Alicia. Maybe he thinks she won't understand, or he might just be embarrassed. Alicia is therefore also alienated because she is excluded from her husband's life. I believe elements of today's society would be beneficial to John. We live in a very health-conscious world. Most Americans see doctors regularly. Our knowledge of mental illness is also broader.: